Kim Jong-un of North Korea, left, and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea at Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone last month.CreditPool photo
New York Times: North Korea Revives an Old Tactic in Threat to Cancel Talks
SEOUL, South Korea — After presenting himself as a statesman, and changing his role from tyrant to moderate on the world stage, Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, has revealed his bottom line: He will not give up his nuclear weapons as President Trump has demanded.
In warning on Wednesday that Mr. Kim could withdraw from his planned June 12 summit meeting with Mr. Trump in Singapore, Pyongyang demanded that Washington remove military threats against North Korea, and it suspended talks with South Korea over its joint military exercises with the United States. The abrupt change from the North, which for months had been calling for dialogue, threatened to dash hopes for a breakthrough in the tensions that pushed the Korean Peninsula to the brink of war last year.
Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, said North Korea had begun to fear looking weak by making unilateral concessions, like its moratorium on missile tests and its decision to shut down its nuclear test site. He noted that the United States, rather than offering concessions of its own, has vowed only to keep up its maximum pressure on the North if it fails to quickly denuclearize.
“The last thing Kim Jong-un can afford is to look like he is surrendering his nuclear weapons,” Mr. Koh said.
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WNU Editor: A lot of work has already been done between North and South Korea on what needs to be done. Everyone knows everyone's positions on the key issues .... and more to the point .... an understanding on where this needs to eventually end up .... demilitarization (i.e. the elimination of nuclear weapons and missiles) and a lessening of tensions on the the Korean border, coupled with a roadmap for reconciliation and (way in the future) unification. In return ... both South Korea and the U.S. have promised enormous economic aid and business investments coupled with security guarantees should North Korea comply. So why the sudden move from North Korea to put the talks and all the progress that has been made into doubt .... as I said .... there is probably more happening in North Korea that what we know, and not necessarily a negotiating tactic.
